Embassy Gardens is a central feature of the redevelopment of Nine Elms and forms the backdrop to the new US Embassy. The blocks are arranged around raised courtyards where a varying building mass is composed to maximise views, daylight and amenity space.

Active retail and commercial frontages at ground connect the Embassy Square, Linear Park and River Frontage with a network of streets and a central square. Designed as a group these masonry clad buildings draw inspiration from 19thAmerican High Rise Buildings and London’s Classic Mansion Blocks.

Hariri Pontarini Architects worked in close collaboration with St. Thomas Commercial Developments Inc. to design 7 St. Thomas, a building that harmonizes retail and commercial design through an inventive interplay of form and light, blending Victorian and contemporary materials to create a unified work. Six heritage townhouses are integrated into a three-storey podium, with a sinuous six-storey tower above. The development houses retail at ground level and condominium office spaces throughout, blending high design, ecological responsibility, and civic enhancement.

“We see this project as representative of the quality we see globally, in cities such as London and New York, but built locally”, stated David Pontarini, Founding Partner of Hariri Pontarini Architects. “It is a testament to the willingness of Patrick Quigley, President of St. Thomas Commercial Developments, to push the City and the boundaries of design in Toronto.”

Located around the corner from the busy Bay/Bloor intersection at the corner of Sultan and St. Thomas Streets, the design was born from a desire to seamlessly integrate into the existing fabric of the neighbourhood and to contribute to the urban environment.

“It’s such a difficult process with the city,” Quigley explains. “But you end up with a much better project when you take contextual issues into consideration.”

The building peels back from neighbouring context to preserve the light and views of existing residential buildings. A piazza-like square at the corner of St. Thomas and along Sultan Streets form a public amenity in the densely built area.

The podium wraps around and incorporates the heritage buildings, elegantly balancing the proportions and using glass and stone to contrast and enhance the existing façades. The tower is wrapped in an undulating fritted glass veil. Stepping back from the Victorian base, the tower appears to float above.

The heritage façades of the six row houses built in 1880 were meticulously restored by ERA Architects, returning the original charm to the masonry, windows, trim, dormers and sloped roofs. The entrances of the street oriented retail spaces were modified for inclusive accessibility while preserving the heritage character of the buildings. Inside the reconstructed town homes have been maintained as individual office suites, in order to preserve the quality of space within old homes and break-up the lower levels into smaller multi-level commercial suites creating a fine-grained street-level experience.

7 St. Thomas is amongst the first of its kind in Toronto, offering exclusive commercial ownership. Common shared elements are refined and sophisticated. A marble-clad lobby, designed by Studio Munge, with a stark white pallet and graphic black chrome accents expresses the horizontal fluidity of the architecture through vertical lacquered panels, unifying in their wave-like motion and modernity. A board room with state of the art presentation technology and washrooms on each floor are common areas for the suite owners to share. The design allows for size adaptable suites to accommodate a wide array of businesses.

The building contributes to the urban environment through various features including high performance curtain wall with a ceramic frit that reduces thermal transmission, large capacity rain cisterns which feed back into the building’s grey-water system, and water-efficient green-roof terraces on the third and ninth floors. Capitalizing on its position in the midst of a growing residential neighbourhood, the close proximity to multiple transit lines and high acceptance of walking and cycling make 7 St. Thomas a functionally integrated development and model for urban sustainability.

Hariri Pontarini Architects is a full-service Canadian firm devoted to producing work of lasting value. Siamak Hariri and David Pontarini founded the Toronto office in 1994 motivated by a shared commitment to design quality. Today their 120-person practice offers its clients in-depth partner involvement through all stages of design and the breadth of building experience and technical expertise to rigorously oversee construction. HPA believes solid relationships result in strong projects.

Pixel is a dynamic 76,000m2 residential development with retail, office, makers and community spaces, offering 480 apartments of various sizes and features. The project is part of a large-scale district level development by RNL design called Makers District, being the precedent for advanced community-based development, positioning itself as the new heart of Abu Dhabi, the capital of UAE.

As such, Pixel represents a new way of approaching neighbourhoods, communities, the way of living, the way of working. Based on a research of possible residential models, we selected together with the client the “mini-tower” configuration, which resulted in spreading 7 mid-rise, relatively slim towers around the plot, influenced by the local conditions (sun and wind) and providing the most view around for most apartments. The 7 buildings embrace a fully pedestrianised, activated plaza, which is accessible from all directions around the plot (as it is the heart of the neighbourhood), while maintaining a volumetric direction to bring a larger flow of people from the adjacent beach, marina and public event place “The Artery” designed by Danish firm, Bjarke Ingels Group: BIG towards the city.

Pixel is beyond a traditional residential project with amenities and service that includes retail, co-working, makers, community spaces, from the smallest unit of 50 sqm available for rent for start-up businesses. The breakdown of the volume around the public plaza is engaging in this spirit. It forms individual, but flexible use units on the ground floor, first and second floor, and turns into shaded outdoor terraces interlocked with apartments on the upper floors. The typical “penthouse” approach is redefined as well: the Makers Village, honest to its spirit, offers studio apartments available for young generation on every level, and some of the more luxurious large apartments are located facing the lively central plaza on the third to fifth floors.

The seven towers along the plot perimeter form a solid composition, complete with sober facade design. Only after entering the project, reveals itself to visitors and residents.

In the material selection, we emphasise the natural and honest spirit of the project. We use pure concrete and ceramics on the facade. There is an intended difference between the finishing level of the concrete at the perimeter and the cascading facade: – the rough and patterned balancing the refined and smooth. The use of the ceramics in various shades, pattern or colour gives the opportunity to work together with artists, which will give the final touch to the project. Completion of Pixel is set for 2020.

Foster + Partners has completed 3Beirut – the first of the practice’s projects in Lebanon. Responding directly to the site and culture of Beirut, the scheme creates a sustainable residential and retail development in the heart of the city. The development also strengthens Beirut’s role as a centre for tourism, commerce, retail and entertainment while providing new green spaces at ground level for the city to enjoy.

The scheme is located in Beirut Central District on a prestigious site within the wider Solidere masterplan for the regeneration of the city centre. Particular consideration was given to the public realm and the creation of new pedestrian routes through the site combined with new landscaped spaces that connect the historic centre to the harbour. On the south side, the central tower has been pushed back to create a landscaped forecourt.

The scheme is made up of three limestone clad towers that provide an animated ground plane of shops, cafes, restaurants, a fitness centre, an art gallery and public gardens. The lobbies are connected to the ground plane with a distinctive water features that flows from the inside to the outside creating a calming sound for the public.

3Beirut’s glazed north façade provides spectacular views of the harbour, while the south facing side steps down in height, with terraces and green roofs that help integrate the towers into the urban grain. The staggered layout of the towers also helps avoid apartments that overlook adjacent units, allowing residents a greater sense of privacy.

Luke Fox, Head of Studio and Senior Executive Partner at Foster + Partners, remarked, “We are delighted that 3Beirut has reached completion, which is the result of close collaboration between the client and Foster + Partners. The result is a high-quality building that gives back to the city.”

Faris Smadi, CEO SV Properties & Construction said, “SV Properties & Construction is proud to have completed this landmark residential development with world renowned architects Foster + Partners. It has been a real privilege to work together to realize this iconic scheme at the heart of the Beirut Central District, and one which will provide a great legacy not only for ourselves but also for the city.

With over 75% of the apartments now sold, and the first residents moving in earlier this summer, the development embodies the unique vibrancy of the city. A wide range of amenities, including a leisure suite, featuring a 26m pool and gym, and the McLaren showroom on the ground floor were inaugurated recently – bringing life to the area. Spurred on by the success of the recent exhibitions series held in temporary art galleries on the ground floor, a regular programme of art and culture events is being planned for the future, making 3Beirut a true social focus for the city.”

With the recent design competition win of HUAFA INTERNATIONAL SEAFRONT GARDEN, 10 DESIGN celebrates the addition of their third major project in the Shizimen CBD, a new leading financial hub of Zhuhai, China. 10 DESIGN has contributed significantly with their projects totaling over 1 million sqm of GFA within the CBD alone and 8.8 million sqm of GFA throughout the city of Zhuhai.

Huafa International Seafront Garden provides 376,000 sqm of mixed use accommodation, spanning across 3 sites and stretching 600m along Nanwan Road – one of the major boulevards leading to the upcoming Hongkong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. When complete in 2022, International Seafront Garden will provide one of the longest and most vibrant retail main streets in Zhuhai.

Huafa Group’s vision for International Seafront Garden is to forge a vibrant urban community by forming a connective tissue between the development and the client’s adjacent properties, also designed by 10 DESIGN.

Miriam Auyeung, Partner at 10 DESIGN said: “The heart of the development is a large square that expands the existing central plaza directly across the main road where Zhuhai International CEC is situated. The large square is further defined by two 190 m tall gateway office towers, marking the core of the masterplan. Alongside the large square is a series of more open and inviting hardscape spaces. This vibrant street frontage extends all the way to the west, where Huafa International Coast is located.”

The design concept for the development is also influenced by the adjacent Zhuhai International CEC. The large scale urban design concept moves from the rippling ocean, to its undulating interpretation for the convention centre, and ultimately to the light floating forms of the development.

Ted Givens, Design Partner at 10 DESIGN explained: “A serpentine bridge floats across the three sites, unifying the geometry. The bridge is composed of a series of organic canopies that create a dynamic skyline, and help draw people to the upper floors of the F&B retail. The bridge bends down to the ground on the far ends of the site further enhancing connectivity and creating an arc across the main façade.”

The retail zones are interwoven with dynamic outdoor courtyard spaces that are inspired by and support Zhuhai’s culture of outdoor living. Above the retail, residential towers command unobstructed sea views and are interwoven with the podium through a series of vibrant gardens.
The heights of the 8 high-rise towers of the development are varied to create a dramatic skyline. The towers become an elegant compliment to the vibrant community spaces below.

Huafa International Seafront Garden will strengthen the character of the existing neighbourhood and will provide a vibrant retail destination for the wider Wanzai District.

In Zhuhai, 10 DESIGN has also been very fortunate to contribute to the progressive changes of its cityscape, creating landmarks in most of the city’s districts. These include Shizimen St Regis Super High Rise, Zhuhai International Convention and Exhibition Centre Phase 2, Huafa International Coast, Pingsha New Town Masterplan, Fushan Industrial Park School, Huafa Plaza, China Resources’ MixC World in Hengqin, Jinwan Aviation City International Commercial Centre, Jinwan Aviation City Industrial Service Centre, Jinwan Huafa Shopping Centre, Hengxin Industrial Park Mixed Use Development, Summer International Retail Centre, The Core of Zhuhai City Heart Development in Jida, Hi-Technology Headquarters in Gaoxin, Huan Cheng Centre Retail Street in Hengqin, Shizimen Gateway Bridge in Hengqin – “Infinity Loop” and more.

“It is a hybrid community place, both an urban square and an activated main street. It is an engaging resolution of the walkable and the vehicular – of big convenience and bespoke localism,” says Rob Sanderson [Project and Design Leader]. “It inaugurates and celebrates the future urbanity of the place”.

“Ample and changing daylight makes the space alive within the static built form while the cantilevered awnings provide comfort and the setting for activation,” says Anupama Saha [Project Architect].

– The site provided a number of challenges including a slight slope, difficult traffic connections and residential development in close proximity
– The controls also required through site links
– A large, highly efficient and useable car park, with broad convenient ramped connections between on grade and basement levels
– Design for both a short term and long term road network
– A hybrid building creating a large square and a main streetscape

– The project took a long time to evolve with various scenarios and layouts being tested from a number enclosed mall versions to the realised carpark/town square model
– The team diligently worked through from the concept to detail documentation with various team members moving in and out of the project seamlessly
– The project was tendered with a high degree of resolution as a D& C contract
– The successful builders ADCO and Scott Carver formed a great working relationship ensuring on site
– Innovative lighting and economy of construction in cantilevered awnings

– The shopping centre occupies about 1.165 Ha in precinct of some 707 Ha in one of the fastest growing in the North West Priority Growth Area
– The site had been planned to be the town centre with significant opportunity for food and beverage tenancies to create a community hub
– The Woolworths Supermarket was a trial site for the latest kit development
– A tension between both courtyard/carpark facing retail and street facing retail has created a centre that addresses the public domain in an active and engaging manner.

Taking a cue from the old city streets of Mathura city in India where this project is located, this 800 room students’ hostel creates organic spaces.

Designed in 4 level high, 5 linear blocks, the built spaces snake across a wedge shaped site twisting and turning along their length. Sitting adjacent to repetitive hostel blocks on the east and west these new hostels within a large university campus create individual spaces within a discernible identity in each part of the layout.

The orientation of all the buildings are done with a view of generating large north facing garden areas overlooking a vast playground towards the north. In addition, each hostel room is punctuated with a wedge shaped bay window oriented towards the north and the playground.

Each hostel room has ventilation openings in the internal corridor facilitating cross ventilation. The linear buildings create small break out spaces at each bending point allowing natural light into the internal circulation spaces.

These factors create an energy efficient building minimizing heat gain in response to the climate which has average temperature in excess of 300 c for 8 months of the year when the sun is in the Southern Hemisphere. During the winter months when the sun is in the Northern Hemisphere, direct sunlight is facilitated to prevent the rooms from becoming cold.

Two focal areas are created at the ends of the linear buildings to house cafeterias, games rooms and gymnasium opening into the north facing gardens and terraces. Each of the public spaces are large volumes with 20’ high ceilings.

The organic layout of the buildings characterizes each space within the site. Color accentuates different blocks and facilitates within. Each block is differently colored along with the internal face of the bay windows of the hostel in bright colors to create an identity.

Rain water harvesting and water recycling and usage of solar panels additionally make the project more energy efficient along with the orientation and facilitation of natural ventilation.

The Street is contextual to the climate and the orientation of the site thus creating varied experiences and changing perceptions of space in each part of the 6 acre site.

Sanjay Puri, alumni of Mayo College, Ajmer and St.Xaviers College, Mumbai graduated from the Academy of Architecture, Mumbai in 1988 and is the principal architect of the firm Sanjay Puri Architects.

With a young team of over 72 architects the firm has a diverse portfolio of projects including townships, residential developments, software parks, hotels, retail malls, schools, and smaller individual projects.

Easton Helsinki, a 66,000m2 shopping centre by Lahdelma & Mahlamäki is the first phase in a larger urban plan and looks to celebrate the identity and culture of Helsinki’s eastern districts. In its architectural and commercial concepts the project idealistically and physically centres itself around food, bringing together local vendors and businesses at the heart of the shopping centre. However, the project also holds a rich production history – it has been as much about process as it has about the final result. Centralised BIM models have formed the core of the workflow and design process since day one, a request of the client Kesko. Whilst shopping centres are inherently complex projects, workflow on all levels, from the design desks of individual end-users to contractors on-site, was managed through a centralised model; whether it be involving the façade system or the environmental conditions of individual shops.

Easton offers 30,000 m2 of rentable commercial floor space which is set to bring 40 businesses into the area, with the emphasis being put on healthy foods and creating an everyday social atmosphere around this. The size and complexity of these programmes and involved parties brought a challenging timetable to all levels of construction and design. To manage this, template-based workflows were used which enabled quick design cycles and the efficient transfer of output data. This arrangement of working meant that many processes could happen simultaneously which massively boosted the efficiency of the project. Whilst construction work was ongoing, Kesko could use the comprehensive BIM model as a way of negotiation and planning future retail spaces with prospective tenants who were able to accurately present future operating environments. One of its primary uses was indeed as a decision tool for current and future stakeholders, clients and partners. Kesko themselves use BIM to model their shops, which can be added into the central design and construction model of the shopping centre.

The creation and management of the model was in itself an impressive feat. The model was under the central control of Haahtela-rakennuttaminen Oy, but each separate contractor would be required to update it as changes were made. The model was used to coordinate the building services, structures and architecture during the design process. Then, during construction, various sub-contractors were able to inspect the model and make decisions based on it, before installations actually began. The thoroughness of the model allowed them to engage with the design in more progressive ways. For example, the HVAC designers were able to inspect the pipe and duct installations up close, before their construction, in virtual reality. If alterations were made on site, then the BIM model would also be updated to reflect this. As a result, the end model is a direct representation of the building on site and is technically correct. The client set this as a key requirement in order for the model to be used in the future for maintenance and development purposes.

At first glance the most striking feature and most clearly a result of computer modelling, is the gently undulating façade which evolves the local red-brick aesthetic into an array of 100,000 ceramic and aluminium rods backed by a steel structure. Geometry specialists Geometria modelled and were able to accurately map each façade element, its angle, length and colour, across the huge undulating façade, initially using algorithms based on Rhinoceros and Grasshopper but which then fed into the centralised model. The data from the structural models entered a back-and-forward process between the design studio and the model shop – always being fed back into the central model – eventually becoming realised as pre-assembled units ready to go on site.

The adoption and integration of technologies was widely appreciated amongst all contractors. Output data from changes to design elements was virtually real-time as structural and elemental designers worked in the same model environment with Tekla Model Sharing. Frame options were compared with Tekla Structures and Vico Schedule Planner, and the designers of each component were able to pull information such as element weights and locations obtained from the model. The direct result of this was that the façade frame, the structure was optimised for the most effective timetable and best costs, and allowed for the safe installation of the frame. Changes could also be made without the interruption of the rest of the project.

The opinion of all partners, upon completion of the project, was that the transparency and integration of the design process was hugely successful and allowed everyone to approach all challenges and respond to them in a noticeably clearer and more organised manner than a more traditional construction environment. The obvious testament to this is that the complex project was completed according to the agree timetable – which is vital for a commercial project of this size – not only this but, the project was awarded the Tekla BIM Award 2017.

Easton is not a one-off for Lahdelma & Mahlamäki Architects, the integration of BIM and technology has been a core component of the design and construction process for a long time, and as such the technologies have become well established within the office. The office even won the Tekla BIM Award 2012 for their work on the Derby Business Park, Espoo, putting them at the head of their field. Many of these technologies now come ‘as-standard’ for all projects, which allows the architects to explore other ways of design and representation in emerging technologies; already designers, clients and partners can experience their designs in Virtual Reality.

The Paper Pavilion” – an experimental, recyclable furniture showroom concept involving the use of recyclable materials and novel technologies by student designer Larry Teo of Singapore’s Temasek Polytechnic has been selected as one of the winners of the American Architecture Prize 2017 under the Architectural Design/Small Architecture category.

Located at Singapore’s Geylang Bahru Industrial Estate – an industrial town which has been re-zoned by the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore for residential & commercial use. – The Interior Architecture graduate fashioned an adaptive re-use scheme on a pair of existing warehouse units for conversion into a high-tech recyclable furniture showroom to experiment the unconventional use of materials like cardboard as a structural & lighting material, apace with technologies such as piezo-electricity for anthropogenic energy harvesting, resulting in an enthralling environment where space reacts to, absorbs, and recycles the residual energy produced by the activities of its visitors into electricity.

Cardboard – a humble material that is often neglected and abandoned, delineates the project as a paradigm of unconventional display spaces. The material is comprehensively superimposed as an ubiquitous structural & lighting medium to assemble an array of “Paper Trees” – a series of distinctive, vertically oriented display spaces for the said merchandise to accentuate spatial hegemony within the building envelope, resulting in the “Cardboard Jungle” concept. Visitors are brought on a journey of ascension through this jungle and led into the suspended ‘Paper Tree Houses’ to be surrounded by the unseen beauty of cardboard, elucidating an out-of-this-world walkthrough retail experience tailor-made for a sustainable showroom of the future.

This metaphorical jungle, where trees were cut down for the production of paper resulting in the by-product of cardboard is “resurrected”, with the full potential of the material’s lighting properties exemplified. For example, to display the effect of shadows, natural lighting is optimised through the strategic utilisation of apertures on all sides of the building parameters to eschew from excessive artificial lighting on the transitory spaces between the ‘Paper Trees’ which connect the first and second levels – purposefully filtering direct sunlight through the tiny perforations on the humble material, emulating the effect in actual jungles and forests where sunlight that reaches the floor and understory levels are filtered by a multitude of overhanging canopies. The result is an especial experience crafted by a harmonious assemblage of experimental materials & technologies, bundled in a compact area.

In addition to the American Architecture Prize 2017, The Paper Pavilion was also previously shortlisted in the Top 300 out of 11,000 international entries at the IF Design Awards Germany 2016 in the Interior Architecture Category, on top of several other accolades in Singapore awarded by the I-DEA Spatial Design Awards and Singapore Design Award 2015.

The student designer behind the award-winning concept, Larry Teo – whom graduated with top honours in 2015 from Temasek Polytechnic Singapore, is currently an architectural intern slated for enrolment into an undergraduate architectural program. A young designer with an expressed interest in avant-garde concepts pertaining to environmental sustainability, some of his other achievements include the Gensler Singapore Scholarship, Pomeroy Studio Prize, Waldmann Lighting academic award and a double-win at the Spatial Design(SPADE) Awards in 2015 & 2016 respectively. Other ongoing projects in his pipeline include a planned entry to the eVolo skyscraper competition which will be done in an interdisciplinary manner, in collaboration with other university students from a spectrum of different fields.

Hariri Pontarini Architects (HPA) and Pinnacle International have unveiled their design for the over four million square-foot property at One Yonge. The design was led by Micheal De Cotiis, President and CEO of Pinnacle International and David Ponatrini, Founding Principal of HPA, who consider this project a successful demonstration of collaboration between the City, Waterfront Toronto, Developer, and Architect.

The development, on Toronto’s waterfront, rethinks the typical mix of residential, commercial and retail space found in Toronto. It will be comprised of five new buildings and the re-clad existing Toronto Star building, all within two city blocks. The north block includes three residential towers (at 95, 80 and 65 storeys) with hotel, affordable housing, community centre and extensive retail. The south block includes two new office towers (at 35 and 22 storeys) including extensive retail on the first two levels, and the current Toronto Star building which will be maintained and re-clad. Designed to densify and enhance the urban streetscape, the project links to public transit, improves and widens sidewalks, and provides prioritized pedestrian and cyclist access with north-south and east-west mid-block connections.

By connecting to the climate-controlled PATH, Toronto’s downtown underground pedestrian walkway, Pinnacle One Yonge will give residents and visitors direct access to Union Station, the regional train and bus terminal and the existing Union subway station. The project will act as a gateway to the new waterfront community still under redevelopment, with a design that strives to set a new standard for dense, urban revitalization.

“We are looking forward to developing this landmark community on Toronto’s revitalized waterfront”, said Mr. De Cotiis. Phase 1, the 65-storey tower, is scheduled to go to market in the coming months with subsequent phases expected to follow soon after.

Pinnacle International is one of North America’s leading builders of luxury condominium residences, master-planned communities, hotels and commercial developments. Based in Vancouver, BC, Pinnacle has been involved in the development, design, construction and management of their projects for over 40 years. With this experience and expertise, Pinnacle has completed over 10,000 residences to help create and enrich neighbourhoods in Vancouver, Toronto and San Diego. Pinnacle has development plans for an additional 10,000 residential suites located in various master-planned, mixed-use locations throughout North America.

Hariri Pontarini Architects (HPA) is a full-service Canadian firm devoted to producing work of lasting value. Siamak Hariri and David Pontarini founded the Toronto office in 1994 motivated by a shared commitment to design quality. Today their 120-person practice has a diversely scaled, award-winning portfolio reflecting the HPA mission to craft architectural and urban solutions that exceed expectations, without excess. David Pontarini, Partner-in-Charge of Pinnacle One Yonge, focuses on building better cities through quality urban developments that channel the best aspects of their site and program into finely executed architectural and public realm designs. Over the past 31 years, he has built an award-winning portfolio of complex, variously scaled, urban high-rise and mixed-use developments in cities across Canada and the United States. David Pontarini’s design-led approach to smart development solutions contributes to his reputation as one of Toronto’s leading architects, and to the recognition of HPA, by the RAIC, as winners of the 2013 Architectural Firm Award.